Girl's video game wins Boys & Girls Club award

One of the technology students of the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County has been selected as a winner in a national technology contest.

Cheyenne Fairfax, a member of the Pennsylvania Avenue unit, participated in the "Picture This!" game design contest and has been selected as one of 10 winners nationwide.

Myclubmylife.com's The Game Channel, along with the support of the AMD Foundation, challenged teens to think big, make change and have fun through the contest.

For the "Picture This!" contest, those ages 13 to 18 were encouraged to take an original photograph from which they could create a video game concept. The concept had to be an original idea, and must help solve a local, national or international issue.

Cheyenne designed a computer game that addressed the challenges of poverty and hunger. She titled her concept "Make A Bowl/Pass It On."

"Hunger has always been one of the many things I have wanted to do something about, and I thought here is my chance (through the video game competition)," Cheyenne wrote in her game submission.

Cheyenne designed a video game concept that starts out with the player hearing a news story related to poverty and the number of people who go to bed hungry each night. The game player then decides to address the problem by visiting a farmer's market where he or she selects resources to start a garden. The player then must take care of the garden and can earn the opportunity to expand it and provide quality food to the local community. The concept includes different levels where the player could advance to help feed the hungry in other areas of the country and world.

"Cheyenne is a joy to have in the Boys & Girls Club," said Andrew Presnell, program director of the Boys & Girls Club. "I was very impressed that a 15-year-old would be willing to take on a challenge such as hunger in this contest. She is definitely a leader who is not afraid to make her own way and not follow the crowd."

The Boys & Girls Club serves children at seven locations in Washington County. For more information, go to www.bgcwc.com.